The 12 Step Buddhist

[Hawkland192]

Have any of you read this book?  When I was in rehab one of the clinicians had it and I was thumbing thru it. Now, I just heard that there is a Buddhist 12 step meeting that just started a few months ago here in my home town. They are basing it on the book.  What are your thoughts? I wish there were local Pagan meetings, but there isn't....I am very interested to see how these meetings are run compared to our traditional AA and NA.

Mary Alice

[Peterwolfe]

Sounds awesome........not to sound ridiculous, but -some of my best friends are Buddhist.
If you try it I'd love to hear about it.
BB,
Peterwolfe

[Hawkland192]

I bought the book last night and take the word "Buddhist" out of it; and this guy is saying what so many of us already know. I mean he is suggesting that ALL addicts....need more than a 12 step program....a little therapy....a little community service to get out of ourselves (same as service IN the rooms I guess) and a strong spiritual belief that you PRACTICE outside the 12 step meetings. Well, I guess thats what we Pagans do with our rituals, Christians do with church, ect. He said the high point in the bell curve of AA'ers are 40-50 yr old Christian males, so to apease the rest of us, we have to work our program outside of the box.

Now I'm really working on integrating my spiritual practices of paganism into my daily program. I found that I was keeping Paganism out of AA and AA out of Paganism, but they must be integrated fo ME to be successful. They are both so much of who I am . I bought this awesome book Goddess Bless, and I read the prayers and affirmations as a daily practice now.

I'll let you know next Monday how the meeting goes.

Mary Alice

[Peterwolfe]

awesome............and for me too- my religious beliefs and practices, and AA/recovery stuff - are absolutely intertwined.........it's a good thing.
BB,
P-wolfe

[anoif]

Thanks for the update!

[Apel Mjausson]

I haven't read that one but I read _One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps_. Or rather, I started reading it but gave up. As he progressed through the steps, the author was beating himself up with bigger and bigger sticks. That's not recovery, in my book. Wouldn't recommend it.

Is the Buddhist 12 step book, you're looking at different in this respect?
B*B,
--Mjausson

[niteman69]

No I have not. But, I did read "The Zen Of Recovery" by Mel Ash. I did like the ideas he had for working the 11th step and his The Bones of Others I think is great here that is and at the end is his web site.
If you are here to read this,
think of those who aren't.
Pray for them: good thoughts for those
who lost their minds, love and years
to compulsion, addiction and fears.
Think of their great sacrifice.

We recover on the bones of others.
Wrap your loving thoughts around them:
alone no more.

If you are here and recovering
your original shining true self,
a moment of silence for those driven mad
by the voices and screams of disease-
driven dreams. We walk from night to day
on a path made of the bones of others.
Hold them tightly in the warm arms of your spirit:
cold no more.

If you are here and attaining freedom,
a thousand bows for those who didn't
reach this shore and drowned in a
sea of despair: suffering no more.

We walk in freedom past cages made
of the bones of others.
They hand us the keys of desperation.
Quench their burning thirst
with the tears of your soul.
Calm their cravings. Still their minds.
Grant them peace in the dark and
lonely places below and above the ground.
Fill the gaping holes left by their deaths
with the immensity of your love.

Remember them as you sleep;
remember them as you wake.
Only a thought is the difference
between you and the bones of others

http://www.melash.com/index.html

[anoif]

Thanks that was amazing Niteman.

I recently found my birth family and found out my birth mother is dead, what was spooky is that she died of liver failure due to alcoholism...I wish I could have been there to help her, even though we had never formally met (except brieflyt when I was born)

So I honor her bones now by staying sober
Anoif